♦⊱ Chapter 28 - Modern Era ⊰♦

Ruka pov:

"Ruka, this isn't a simple matter, you know? The emergency doctors said that they had suffered wounds from a weapon," said Hasamoto san, an investigator that I had known for many years as a family friend.

"I know, Hasamoto san but you have to trust me. What happened is really complicated and not something you should delve into. Please, can't you just write it off as a mugging?" I pleaded, nervously glancing between the doors of the operating theatre and Kijima san who was watching me sharply.

But, Ruka dear, their clothes and the weapons the weapon that man is carrying-"

"I know you're suspicious and wary," I interrupted him in a begging tone, "but, please, you have to cover this up somehow. I promise they're not dangerous and I'll take care of them – things about them are just...complicated."

Hasamoto san was silent for a moment, in deep thought. He glanced at Kijima san, stared at him for a few moments, then looked back at me. He sighed deeply, closing his eyes for a moment.

"Alright," he spoke, sounding defeated, "I'll let you handle this matter. I'll wrap it up as a case of mugging when you were returning from a drama show. I'm only agreeing to do this because your father has helped me many times."

"Thank you, Hasamoto san!" I said, a relieved smile coming to my face.

"But are you sure you're going to be alright, Ruka? I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll be fine, Hasamoto san. Thank you so much for your help!" I bowed deeply and he chuckled.

"You don't have to bow to me, Ruka. Just be safe, alright? If you need anything though, don't hesitate to call me," he said. I nodded and he gestured for his subordinated to leave with him. When they were gone, I exhaled in relief again and sat down next to Kijima san.

"Why did you save that b****** along with Kichiro sama?" Kijima san seethed.

I momentarily cringed. "I couldn't just leave him to die, Kijima san. Even though I don't like him anymore, he was still my friend and a human being. Besides, if the authorities found him in the same place as Kichiro sama and I insisted on saving only Kichiro sama, I'd get into serious trouble," I explained. With a shake of my head, I added, "Whatever the case, things at the moment are not exactly...normal, so it's best if you just follow my lead for now. Be patient and I'll explain things after Kichiro sama and Tomoki are healed."

"Not normal? What do you mean?" he pressed.

I contemplated for a moment on whether to tell Kijima san the truth or not. Well, there was no point putting it off – I decided to give him a vague idea of what was going on before I explained the situation in detail.

"On the evening I married Kichiro sama and we were in the garden, I asked him a question that anyone would find crazy. I passed it off but when the thunder storm began and a bolt of lightning nearly hit us, I returned here, to my home, only proving the truth in my question." Kijima san's eyes were narrow as he watched me, suspicious and confused about what I was telling him. I averted my eyes from him and glanced at the doctors and nurses who walked through the corridors as I continued, "Right now, Kijima san, you are in my world, my time. You are in a time period 400 years in the future of where you live."

Kijima san was silent. He said nothing. I was surprised that he didn't immediately bombard me with questions.

I met his wavering gaze and added, "This is all I can tell you for now. Once Kichiro sama and Tomoki are awake, I'll give all of you the remaining details. But, please, you cannot say anything about the war or about fighting and killing people to anyone here. It's illegal and will get you into really serious trouble. Just stay silent and let me handle the situation."

"Who was that man you were speaking to earlier?"

"He's an investigator. He had come here to find out details of what has happened. I convinced him to cover up the situation somehow and let me handle this without it becoming known to the public," I answered.

Kijima san was about to speak but was interrupted when I stood having seen the doctor walk out of the doors of the operating theatre. I hurried to him, "Sensei, how are they doing?"

"They are very lucky," he answered, looking between me and Kijima san, though sparing kijima san's attire a strange look. "None of their organs were severely injured. We've cleaned and stitched up their wounds and their condition is stable. We'll be shifting them to a ward soon. You can see them then."

"Thank you, Sensei," I said in relief. "When will they wake up?"

"In a few hours, by late evening at max. Don't worry, they'll be fine," he reassured. "In the time we shift them to the ward, you should finish the paperwork. You'll have to fill in details of the patient in the forms that the receptionist will hand you. Please, come this way."

I took a hold of Kijima san's wrist and pulled him behind me despite a bit of struggling from his end. He could have easily resisted but he seemed to believe my words of us being 400 years in the future of his time.

The receptionist handed me two sets of papers – one for Kichiro sama's details and one for Tomoki's details. I filled in their names, age, and a few other details that I knew of them before handing the papers back to the receptionist.

"How were they injured?" she asked, meeting my eyes.

"That man! He-" Kijima san began but I gripped his hand tightly to make his stop talking.

I smiled nervously at the receptionist, "Um, we were on our way home after a drama show and we were mugged. These two tried to protect us and got hurt."

I was glad that the receptionist bought my half-baked story and didn't question me any further about it. After signing the papers, I turned to Kijima san only to find him glaring at me. I cringed but managed a halfhearted smile at him before we walked back to the operating theatre. I spoke to one of the nurses who walked out of the door and then headed to the ward which Kichiro sama and Tomoki had been shifted to. I thanked her and Kijima san and I headed to the ward.

The moment we entered the room, Kijima san drew his katana, having seen Tomoki lying on a bed just a few feet away from Kichiro sama. I shut the door quickly before anyone passing by saw Kijima san with a weapon, also grateful that this was a double bed ward.

"Don't!" I yelled before Kijima san brought his katana down on Tomoki.

Kijima san glared at me and grabbed my upper arm in a painfully tight grip. He seethed, "That b****** nearly killed His Majesty and you're telling not to kill him now?!"

"Kijima san, you are in the future! You are not in your time period, in your kingdom, or in the middle of a war! I already told you that if you hurt him, we'll get into a lot of trouble! And it's not going to be just dealing with people having katanas!" I hollered in response. "You can't kill him! Period!"

I couldn't stop a wince in pain from escaping as Kijima san's grip on my arm tightened. He was furious but was level-headed enough to not do anything rash. He let go of my arm and I rubbed the slightly sore part as he sheathed his katana.

He took a seat on a chair next to Kichiro sama's bed. I hesitated but stepped up to Kichiro sama as well. I watched him silently for a moment, unable to believe that he was actually here, that I was seeing him again. He looked so pale, so stressed, so vulnerable, and it made my heart ache. After missing him so much for more than six months, I never expected that I would see him again like this.

My eyes prickled and I reached to him with my hand, wanting to touch his cheek. I tensed, sucking in a sharp breath when I felt the chill of Kijima san's blade very close to my throat though. His voice was low and threatening when he spoke, "Don't you dare touch him with those filthy hands, you deceitful wench."

I clenched my fist, my eyes prickling more. However, I let my hand fall to my side and I stepped back. Kijima san sheathed his katana and I looked between the three people in the room, my emotions chaotic. I was being called a cheater and a liar – it was painful but understandable, considering everything that had happened.

"Kijima san, I'm going out for a bit," I said after a deep sigh. "If they wake up, make sure they don't fight. I don't want you to get in trouble with the authorities and, more than that, any sudden movements could reopen their wounds."

"What are these authorities do you keep talking about? His Majesty is the emperor of all of Nihon! His words are the law, he is the authority!" Kijima san hissed.

I opened my mouth to correct him but sighed, knowing very well that he was not in the mood to listen to me. I shook my head and walked to the door, "Just don't let them do anything rash. And you too, Kijima san, don't do anything rash."

With another longing glance at Kichiro sama, I left the room, closing the door behind me with silent tears making their way down my cheeks.

Kichiro sama pov:

The first thing I felt when I came to was intense pain in my torso – something I hadn't felt in a long time. The wound I had suffered was deep and serious, though I was alive.

I opened my eyes slowly, blinking several times to clear the blurriness of my vision. The ceiling above where I laid was white, unfamiliar to the wooden planks I had always seen in roofs. The smell that hung in the air was strange, pungent, and made my nose itch.

"Your Majesty, you're finally awake!" I heard Kijima's voice. I turned my head slowly to meet his worried gaze, another thing that I hadn't seen in a long time. "How do you feel, Your Majesty?"

I didn't answer his question and pushed up on my elbows to sit. I gasped at the sharp jolt of pain I felt through my wound and entire torso and fell back onto the mattress with my eyes closed in pain.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't get up. You wound will reopen," Kijima said, hesitating to touch me.

I cursed under my breath before observing where I was. When my gaze landed on the b******, the leader of the Red Eagles, my eyes went wide in fury, "What is he doing here?!"

"Your Majesty, it was Her Highness, Ruka sama who brought the both of you here and had your wounds treated," answered Kijima.

"Ruka?" I questioned, narrowing my eyes. Anger bubbled within me and I spat, "That wench! She not only disobeys me and disappears but she appears now and saves him as well?! Where is she? Where is that wench?!"

I would not let her actions go unpunished this time. I would not let her live! I would kill her, give her what she truly deserved once and for all!

I glared at the man, Tomoki awoke too. He groaned clutching his side and tried to sit, failing miserably. I scoffed and he glanced at me only to glare, "You! You're still alive!"

"Of course, I am, you fool! Someone like you could never kill me," I snapped.

"Why you, I'll-"

Before he could finish what he wanted to say, we heard a voice from the other side of the door of this room. it was a male who spoke, "But, what about the hospital expenses?"

I clenched my fists when the door opened and none other than that wench stepped in along with a boy.

Ruka pov:

I exhaled deeply, feeling stressed. I ran a hand through my hair as I walked towards the room where Kichiro sama and Tomoki were. Kojiro walked beside me, restless and annoyed by my reckless decision of helping two strangers in an accident.

I also felt a throbbing pain in my heart at the way Kijima san had treated me. Sure, I had disappeared all of a sudden when things between me and Kichiro sama was finally going smooth and he had begun to trust me and love me...but Kijima san didn't know what happened to me. He didn't know how much I had missed Kichiro sama, how much I had tried to find a way back. He didn't know anything...even though I had told him that he was now in a time 400 years in the future of the Nihon he lived in.

"Onee chan, you can't be serious about taking responsibility of three strangers you just happened to help! I mean, it's dangerous! You said they were stabbed!" Kojiro hollered, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Well, they're not exactly strangers," I mumbled, giving Kojiro a small smile.

He scoffed in disbelief, "Honestly, Onee chan, that's the third time you're telling me that! Why can't you just tell me how you met them and who they are? You know it's dangerous to help just anyone!" He flailed his arms up dramatically making me chuckle.

"Relax, Kojiro. I have everything under control," I said as we reached the ward.

"But, what about the hospital expenses?" he pressed while I opened the door to step into the room.

I tensed as three pairs of eyes landed on me immediately – two were angry and scrutinizing while the third was wide in shock. I clenched my fists meeting Kichiro sama's narrow gaze. He was absolutely livid and my eyes prickled but I maintained composure. I didn't want to worry Kojiro.

"Don't worry about the hospital expenses," I said to Kojiro. "I've got an idea on how to deal with it. I won't let it burden us."

"Seriously? You never think things through!" Kojiro's hollering annoyed me. I rewarded him with a glare to which his response was sticking his tongue out at me. From my peripheral vision, I could make out Kichiro sama and Kijima san narrow their eyes while Tomoki shake his head, still in disbelief.

"Stop making a fuss and go home now," I said. I walked to the table between the beds and placed the bag in my hands there – I had bought porridge for Kichiro sama, Kijima san, and Tomoki.

"Mum and Dad are going to freak out if I told them you're at the hospital," said Kojiro, deadpanning.

"Just tell them the truth, Kojiro, that I helped some friends."

"Onee chan," he whined.

I felt a vein pop and I turned to look at him with a hand on my hip, "Are you going to leave or do I have to throw you out?"

"Fine, fine, I'm going! Jeez," he muttered, holding his hands up in defense, and finally left.

I felt my composure crumble momentarily when I shut the door, since I no longer hand to pretend to be okay. However, I forced out a smile while turning to face the three men, "I'm glad to see that you two are finally awake. I hope you're feeling alright. Are you hungry? I got you three some porridge to eat."

I opened the sealed porridge boxes and held them out to the trio. While Tomoki took it silently, still surprised to see me, Kichiro sama and Kijima san didn't take the food. Kichiro sama rewarded me with a sharp glare that made me feel incredibly nervous.

"You wench! Filthy liar!" he yelled making me flinch and take a step back. I had expected him to be angry but it was frightening no matter how prepared I was to get an earful. Hopefully, I wouldn't be physically injured...

"Ruka, what's going on?" Tomoki asked.

I placed the two porridge boxes in my hand on the table before I spoke, "You're all in my home, in a time 400 years in the future from where you come from."

The silence that followed was deafening.

"W-what? What are you talking about? You're not making sense!" said Tomoki.

I looked at Kichiro sama who was still glaring at me. "Kichiro sama, do you remember the question I asked you on the evening we got married? I spoke about the possibility of me being from a time much ahead of yours, from a world where I had a family, I was rich, and lived very differently from how I had been living with you. I had passed it off though, for it sounded so fantasy-like and I too was beginning to doubt the truth in it. However, when the bolt of lightning nearly hit us, I returned here, to my home in my time."

"Ruka, this isn't time for jokes! I have to kill that man!" Tomoki hollered, glaring at Kichiro sama. He didn't move though – I was sure he was in a lot of pain because of his wound.

"I'm not joking, Tomoki. Every word I've said is the truth," I said and he frowned. "I've lived here all my life and-"

I couldn't complete what I wanted to say because my cell phone rang. Everyone in the room tensed, Kijima san even standing and reaching for the hilt of his katana. I shook my head with a sigh and reached for my phone in my pocket before answering it and bringing it to my ear.

Ignoring the curious stares I got from the trio, I spoke, "Hey, Yuri."

"What the heck's going on, Ruka?!" I winced, pulling my phone away from my ear when she yelled on the other side. "Why are you in the hospital?! Are you alright?!"

"Ah, I'm guessing you met Kojiro?" I said, bringing the phone back to my ear.

"Yes! And he told me you're at the hospital! What happened?" she asked worriedly again.

"Didn't he tell you that I'm here to see some friends I saved?"

"Huh?" she asked dumbly. She then sounded annoyed, "Well, he conveniently left that part out."

"Um, Ruka?" questioned Tomoki warily.

"Look, Yuri, everything is fine and you don't have to worry about me. I'll call you back later, okay?" I hung up the call before Yuri could respond.

"Ruka, how did you-I could hear another person's voice from that...thing. What's going on?" asked Tomoki. He looked really confused and apprehensive and so did the other two.

Laughing softly once, I said, "Welcome to the modern era."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ahem, things are about to get super complicated now, aren't they? Are you all ready for a roller coaster of emotions?? XD

There's one thing that I wanted to mention in one of the earlier chapters but I completely forgot about it until now. For those who have read this story before, I'm sure you've noticed that I'm using the title Your Majesty for Kichiro sama and not Lord Kurai as it was before. Generally, the emperor is always addressed as Your Majesty as it is the highest form of respect and highest title anyone can have. The title for someone just below him is Your Highness which is why Kijima addressed Ruka as Your Highness, Ruka sama.

Well, the above was just for information because I want the titled to be relatable to what it is in reality!

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